Publisher:Good Deal GamesDeveloper: Digital PicturesSize: 1 CDMemory Usage: NoneNo. of players: 1Got it for: Free, was a perk from an old project I was
working with...

Driving
into town one evening, you stumble across a series of disasters caused by
a nerve gas that has been released into the air. Not being affected by it
somehow(I am guessing your character has highly evolved gills that allow
him to filter the air...making him the ultra-super human!! That's just a
guess though), you come across a dying woman who gives you her watch. Immediately
you are hailed down by a secret organization via the watch's video screen,
are told what the situation is and recruited to stop it. Talk about a short
interview...

What's it all about?
It's a sidescrolling adventure game. Playing as "Citizen X" you
move around the city(or more accurately, below it) looking for the antidote
to the deadly nerve toxin that terrorists are threatening the world with.
Along the way you'll receive information via your wristwatch in the form
of the always cheesy Digital Pictures-style FMV sequences. After being "treated"
to one of the finely performed sequences, you'll then punch and kick through
an assortment of enemies while trying to find your way through one of the
various underground labyrinths. This is where things go downhill: The underground
sections are beyond confusing, and most areas look exactly the same so you
end up spending most of your time running through the same fucking parts
over and over and over and over....and over again.

Graphics
- Though they're more than just a bit grainy, the graphics aren't
that bad at all. The buildings, sewers and various scenery are all very
nicely detailed(the later levels are actually look pretty good too). Your
character animates well...but the enemies could have used some work. The
only problem, and it's a major one, you'll run into with the graphics is
how amazingly flat everything is. I'm talking wallpaper-flat. Now, it wouldn't
be so bad if you didn't actually have to interact with certain parts of
the background...but you do. Finding what can be messed with will take up
the general majority of your time...and frustrate the piss out of you while
you do it...

Sound
- The music isn't too bad, kind of a weird mix of highly over-synthesized
instruments accompanying a beefy beat. The sound effects are alright, consisting
of a mix of various grunts and contact noises.

Control
- Trying(at best). Your character starts off walking, then after
about three steps breaks out into a full sprint....then, in order to stop,
he goes from full sprint into walking, then finally stops. So, with that
said, getting around can be just a bit tough at times as his goofy ass is
just sliding around all over the place. Past that, you attack using either
one or two buttons at once, and you can jump...both come off immediately,
assuming you're not stuck in the run or walk animations...

AI
- Generic. The enemies simply follow you no matter where you go.
If they are on a level above you they'll follow you, if they are on the
other side of the screen they'll follow you. For the most part you can either
take them out, jump over them or just out run them. About the only enemies
you really *have* to fight are the various "bosses" that will
show up in certain areas.

Replay
value - Virtually non-existent. You won't even want to play through
it *once*, let alone come back and do it again...

Tips
for better gaming experiences:Almost
anytime you are stuck, if you can't bomb your way through a wall/floor,
then start looking around the flat-ass backgrounds for some door or entrance
you may have missed...

Someone
has actually taken the time to map out the huge, underground sections of
the game. To take a look at the various maps for these locations, be sure
to check out Richard
Aldridge's collection of Citizen X maps.(note: PowerPoint is required
to view these maps)

My
rating: 48(out of 100) - Great concept, could have made for
a great game...but it just didn't. Instead we get an overly-boring
attempt at some
sidescrolling adventuring. To make matters worse, each level consists of
hard to find entrances, and even harder to navigate sections. Though
kudos
go out to the fine folks at GDG for their interest in old, non-published
Sega CD stuff, I think this is one beta that should have stayed a
beta...and
back under some uneven table leg...

Kitty's sleepy thoughts: It's not that bad, it's just not that
great either. {yawn}Now back to my kitty nap...

Ah
Frobish, the root beer with the foam on the bottom...delicious.

Ok,
from this picture, can *you* tell that you can go into the Subway!?

One
of the various killer clowns that just seem to enjoy roaming the sewer...

Run
Forest, run...

Beta
X?Over
at the GDG site, it says that the only thing missing from this game is one
video clip, thus giving it its "beta" status. I find it hard to
believe that the game was going to be released like this, even if that clip
was shot...but then again this *is* Digital Pictures we're talking about.
In my time with it I've had it just crash, outright on me about four times
and have run across numerous in-game glitches and bugs.

More
Sega CD stuff coming!?:Yes indeed. Good
Deal Games has acquired the rights to a few Sega CD titles that
were finished, but never released. So far, they have published Bug
Blasters, Star Strike, Citizen X, Marko and Battle Frenzy. Be sure
to check it out!